Family Cultivation : The Jiang Clan’s Immortality System

[XiaoBudian]

Nine Provinces Kingdom, Willow County, Golden Willow Village.

In August, the blazing sun hung high overhead, scorching the earth. On the small road at the village entrance, Jiang Huanyu, wearing a straw hat and a short hemp shirt, with his trouser legs rolled up, walked toward the grain-drying field under the fierce sun. Behind him followed two bare-bottomed children, one older and one younger.

"Father is lying. There isn't even a single cloud in the sky. How could it possibly rain?" The seven-or-eight-year-old Jiang Wenfeng carried a wooden box, shielding his forehead with his dirty little hand. He tilted his head, looked at the cloudless sky, and muttered.

Far behind them, the little fellow who was only three or four years old was currently holding his little water pipe, aiming at an ant nest and wantonly watering it. His giggling laughter drifted over. Jiang Huanyu stopped and looked at the mischievous little fellow with a helpless smile.

"Anu, stop making trouble!"
"Be careful when you sleep tonight. The ants might crawl into your quilt and bite your butt!"

The pouring stream of water suddenly stopped. The little fellow turned his head and glanced back. Somewhat afraid, he took two steps back, then turned and sprayed a circle around a nearby big tree. Only then did he shake his body in satisfaction and jog all the way over.

"Father, will it really rain today?"

Jiang Huanyu took off the straw hat on his head, placed it on the little fellow's head, and nodded. "It will. So we have to hurry and collect the grain. Otherwise, it'll be washed away by the heavy rain."

A breeze blew over. The straw hat was too big, so the little fellow hurriedly pressed it down with his hand. Then he excitedly looked at Jiang Wenfeng beside him and said, "Big brother, when the rain stops, take Anu to the pond to catch frogs!"

Jiang Wenfeng glanced at Jiang Huanyu evasively and quickly shook his head. "No. Mother doesn't let us play in the water. If she finds out, our butts will be beaten rotten!"

Anu pressed down the straw hat with one hand and pulled Jiang Wenfeng's hand with the other, whispering, "Then let's secretly go…"

As soon as his words fell, a slap landed on his little butt. "Stinky brat, do you think your father doesn't exist?" "Stop dawdling. Hurry up and collect the grain."

After receiving the slap, the little fellow did not cry. Bare-bottomed, he ran like a wisp of smoke toward the grain-drying field. Seeing this scene, Jiang Huanyu could not help but raise the corners of his mouth. His thoughts also became somewhat dazed. Sometimes, he felt as if he were dreaming. A very real and very long dream.

In his previous life, after graduating from university, he entered a big company. In order to take root in Hangzhou, he desperately worked overtime. At the age of thirty, with the help of his parents, he finally emptied his family's savings and paid the down payment. Sadly, before the pre-sale house was even delivered, he suddenly died from overwork and unexpectedly came here, becoming a commoner who was not exactly ordinary.

The reason he was said to be not ordinary was because, compared with the other commoners in the village, the Jiang family counted as a wealthy household. His great-grandfather had joined the army back then, cut off the heads of three barbarian warriors, and obtained a noble rank. The Great Yu Dynasty used a military merit nobility system similar to the Qin Dynasty in the history of his previous life. Kill three enemies on the battlefield, and one would be granted the rank of Steed, rewarded with two residences, about 13 hectares of fertile land, and about half a hectare of mountain land. Noble ranks were inherited, but lowered with each generation.

Now, by Jiang Huanyu's generation, the Jiang family's noble rank had already been reduced until nothing remained. Fortunately, about 4 hectares of fertile land and about 1 hectare of mountain land had still been left behind. About 100 kilometers west of Golden Willow Village was a huge mountain range stretching for 5,000 kilometers, named Hidden Dragon Mountain. Hidden Dragon Mountain was like a natural barrier, blocking the Western Wilderness barbarians outside. However, even with this natural danger blocking the way, there would still be some small groups of barbarians crossing Hidden Dragon Mountain and wandering into Great Yu territory to plunder and slaughter. Because of this, a few years ago, the Emperor of Yu issued an order to establish Mountain Patrol Commandant Camps along Hidden Dragon Mountain. Since then, barbarians had rarely harassed the surrounding villages and towns.

His wife, Hu Yufen, had originally been the young lady of a wealthy family. Eight years ago, because she encountered a barbarian disaster, she unexpectedly wandered to Golden Willow Village. After being rescued, the two developed feelings over time and became husband and wife. In the years after their marriage, Hu Yufen gave birth to two sons for him one after another. The eldest, Jiang Wenfeng, whose childhood name was Stone, was seven years old this year. The second, Jiang Wenyan, whose childhood name was Anu, would be four after the Year Sacrifice.

With a wife and sons, guarding about 4 hectares of fertile land and about 1 hectare of mountain forest, Jiang Huanyu felt that it would also be quite good if life continued plainly like this. However, half a month ago, when he went fishing in the great river with the villagers, he unexpectedly activated a Daily Divination System bound to his family for some inexplicable reason. Every day, just after midnight, the system would randomly refresh a new divination result.

Ding! [Today's Divination · Ordinary]: Rain at around 2:15 p.m. By around 4:00 p.m., the rainfall will be sufficient. Water level obtained: about 80 centimeters.

The divination result in his mind was displayed clearly. Sometimes Jiang Huanyu even thought that with this system's existence, he could completely play the role of a charlatan half-immortal. Just by moving his lips, he could obtain a large amount of money. But unfortunately, for the past half month, the divination results given by the Divination System had not shown the slightest pattern. And if he wanted to specifically deduce a certain matter, he needed to consume his lifespan. In his previous life, he exchanged his life for money and ended up losing both person and wealth. In this life, he was unwilling to do such a stupid thing again.

After experiencing the initial excitement, life continued to pass so plainly. For the past half month, the system had actually brought him quite a few small surprises. For example, a few days ago, the divination result showed that a nest of wild boars had appeared in his family's mountain forest. Jiang Huanyu immediately followed the prompt and laid traps in the forest. In one go, he caught seven little piglets and one adult male boar, which counted as making a small fortune.

And today, the sky was clear for thousands of kilometers. No matter who looked, no one could tell that there would be a heavy rain about four hours later. The vast grain-drying field was filled with his family's newly harvested grain. If they waited until the heavy rain fell before hurriedly coming to collect it, not only would the grain be washed away by the rainwater, but the grain soaked by rain would also grow mold and sprout. That would be no small loss.

"Master, the grain has just been turned over." An aged voice interrupted Jiang Huanyu's thoughts. A thin old man with a stooped figure and a bare upper body hurriedly came forward when he saw Jiang Huanyu and spoke. The old man was called Xi Fu. He was a short-term worker Jiang Huanyu had hired. Xi Fu was an ordinary commoner from the neighboring village. In his early years, his only son went up the mountain to hunt and accidentally fell. In order to gather money to treat his son's injuries, Xi Fu sold off all his family's farmland. Now, although his son's life had been saved, he had become disabled. Without farmland, Xi Fu could only rely on working as a short-term laborer for others to maintain a livelihood.

"Uncle Fu, bring everything over. Collect this grain as quickly as possible." Hearing this, Xi Fu looked at the sky somewhat astonished. "Master, the sun is still strong. This is exactly the best time to dry off the moisture. Collecting it now…"

Jiang Huanyu bent down, scooped up a handful of grain, and examined it in his palm. Then he smiled and said, "It's more or less enough. Hurry and collect it." Although Xi Fu was very puzzled, since the master had spoken, he did not dare delay. He immediately brought over tools such as winnowing baskets and brooms and began busily working.

The two little fellows beside them also each picked up a wooden pusher and helped push the grain little by little from the outside toward the center. Jiang Wenfeng was already seven years old. Although pushing it was somewhat strenuous, he still gritted his teeth and persisted. But Jiang Wenyan was not even four years old, so his strength was clearly much smaller.

The little fellow pushed two steps. After the grain piled up in front of the wooden pusher, he completely could not push it anymore. "Yi—ya—" "Aiyo—" His tender little hands held the wooden pusher, and his little feet kicked chaotically. In the end, because his center of gravity became unstable, the wooden pusher slipped away from the grain. The little fellow directly fell flat onto the ground.

"Young master, are you all right?" Seeing this, Xi Fu hurriedly ran over, wanting to help him up.

"Uncle Fu, don't mind him. This brat needs a few falls to become sturdy." Jiang Huanyu spoke. The tears swirling in the little fellow's eyes slowly withdrew again. He climbed up, patted off the grain and dust stuck to his body, then picked up the wooden pusher again to help.

After trying several times in a row and discovering that he could only push it two steps, the little fellow stood there in a daze and looked for a while. Suddenly, he smiled. He no longer insisted on pushing the grain to the center. Instead, each time he only pushed two steps before changing to another position. Seeing this, Jiang Huanyu smiled with relief. Xi Fu, who was at the side, also clicked his tongue in wonder when he saw it. "The young master is so clever. Master is truly blessed."

The four of them worked busily for more than an hour, and all the grain in the grain-drying field was piled up in the center. At this time, the sky was already no longer as clear as before. Gusts of strong wind had also begun blowing across the grain-drying field. Large patches of clouds quickly drifted over from the distance.

Jiang Huanyu and Xi Fu hurriedly carried over a large amount of rain grass and rice straw from the side, covered the grain pile, then used mud to build a ridge around the middle of the grain pile to prevent rainwater from seeping into the grain pile from below. Before they had even finished, the sky had already turned terrifyingly gloomy. After several muffled thunderclaps, bean-sized raindrops fell with loud pattering sounds!

The two of them braved the raindrops and carefully checked everything. Only after making sure there would be no water seepage did they hurriedly hide inside the cool shed beside the grain-drying field. Xi Fu wiped the rainwater from his face and looked at Jiang Huanyu in surprise.

"This is truly divine. Master, how did you know there would be rain today?"

Jiang Huanyu smiled without speaking. In his heart, however, he was calculating that once this rain stopped, he could hire a few more short-term workers to carry out summer plowing and sowing.

The heavy rain poured down. Jiang Huanyu glanced at the wooden box beside him and said, "Stone, take out the flatbread your mother baked for Grandpa Fu." Jiang Wenfeng hurriedly ran over, opened the wooden box, and took out two flatbreads, a small dish of side vegetables, and a bowl of thin porridge, handing them to Xi Fu. "Grandpa Fu, hurry and eat."

Seeing this, Xi Fu's eyes grew a little moist. Ever since his farmland had been sold, he had always worked as a short-term laborer for others. The masters he had worked for in the past basically did not treat people like him as human, let alone provide meals.

"Many thanks, Master." Xi Fu bowed, carefully took the food, and began eating. Jiang Huanyu looked at him and shook his head slightly. This old man was also a pitiful person. His wife was kind-hearted. After learning that Xi Fu only ate one meal at home in the morning and relied entirely on cold water to get through noon, she would bake two extra flatbreads every time and have Jiang Huanyu bring them over. Jiang Huanyu had originally wanted to advise against it, but thinking that Xi Fu worked very seriously and responsibly, never slacking off, he did not say much.

After eating and drinking his fill, Xi Fu carefully put away the bowl and dishes and placed them into the wooden box. The two chatted idly, one sentence here and one sentence there. At the beginning of the evening hour, the rain gradually stopped, and the dark clouds in the sky also slowly drifted away.

"Summer rain comes quickly and leaves quickly too." Looking at the sun emerging from the clouds, Xi Fu went barefoot and hurriedly came to the grain-drying field to check. "Master, no water seeped in!" "Once this place dries a little, it can be pulled back home and stored."

Jiang Huanyu nodded. This year was a good harvest year. After paying the taxes, quite a lot of this grain should still remain. At that time, selling some and storing some would make life much easier again.

"Stone, go back home and have your mother bring the ox cart over." "Okay!" Jiang Wenfeng answered and ran toward the village.

Not long after, an old ox slowly pulled a flatbed cart over from the village. Sitting on the cart was a woman wearing a long floral cloth dress, her hair coiled into a bun. Although she had given birth to two children, Hu Yufen's figure had not gone out of shape at all, and her appearance was still very delicate and pleasing to the eye.

When the ox cart came near, Hu Yufen got down from the flatbed cart and looked at Jiang Huanyu with a smiling expression. "Husband, when did you learn the ability to observe heavenly signs?" Jiang Huanyu raised his chin proudly and said, "Your man has many abilities."

"Smooth talker…" Hu Yufen rolled her eyes at him, then turned to Xi Fu and said, "Uncle Fu, thank you for today."

"Madam, what are you saying?" Xi Fu hurriedly cupped his hands. "It is all this old man's duty." "This old man should also thank Madam for thinking of me every day and having Master bring food over."

After exchanging some polite words, his tone changed and he said, "Master and Madam, please rest first. This old man will load the grain onto the cart now."

"I'll help you," Jiang Huanyu said. The two carefully lifted the rain grass and rice straw from the grain pile. Looking at the dry grain inside, they used winnowing baskets to carry it little by little onto the flatbed cart. Hu Yufen also did not go rest. Carrying a bamboo basket, she stood to the side and picked out all the grains that had been stained by rainwater.

The group remained busy until nightfall, around 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., before they finally transported all the grain back home. After drawing some well water and simply washing their bodies, Jiang Huanyu looked at his wife. "Yufen, it's the end of the month. Go get some money and settle Uncle Fu's wages."

Hu Yufen answered and walked toward the house. "Madam, please wait." Seeing this, Xi Fu hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Master, Madam, this old man has an unreasonable request." "I would like to use these wages to buy Master's grain. What do you think…"

Buy grain?

"Master's grain has full kernels. It is superior grain. This old man…" Xi Fu was somewhat embarrassed and also somewhat guilty. With his eye, he could tell that the rice hulled from the Jiang family's grain would be comparable to polished rice. Rice porridge cooked from polished rice was much more nourishing than those inferior grains.

"That's fine. Calculate it according to the market price." Jiang Huanyu saw through his little thoughts, but did not feel anything was wrong with it. The reason his family's grain had superior quality was entirely because enough fertility had been supplied. And these fertilizers were all fermented using the composting method from the memories of his previous life, made from withered grass, tree leaves, river mud, and human and livestock manure. This old man worked honestly and had good judgment. He was a decent person. Letting him take a small advantage was no problem.

"Many thanks, Master!" "Many thanks, Master!" After hearing this, Xi Fu cupped his hands again and again. He had actually planned to buy it at a price ten percent higher than the market price. But estimating that the Jiang family's grain, if sold to the grain shop in town, would be at least thirty percent higher than the market price, he had been somewhat conflicted and embarrassed to speak. He had not expected Jiang Huanyu to be so generous, willing to calculate it for him at the market price.

After some calculation, Jiang Huanyu had Hu Yufen find a cloth bag and fill it with grain for him. "Uncle Fu, there is no need to come over these next few days. Come help with plowing and sowing after a few days. The wages will remain the same." Xi Fu, carrying the grain on his back, was slightly stunned. He had thought that his attempt to take a small advantage would make Jiang Huanyu dissatisfied, and that Jiang Huanyu would no longer use him in the future.

"Good! Good, good!" "When it is time to plow, this old man will come over immediately!" "Master, this old man will go back first."

After seeing Xi Fu off, Hu Yufen went to the kitchen house and busied herself preparing dinner, while the eldest, Jiang Wenfeng, helped tend the stove fire. The family simply finished dinner. After washing up, they lay down on the bed. In this era, there was no television and no phone. Eating one's fill and then sleeping had already become the norm.

Late at night, when all was quiet, the two little fellows had been busy all afternoon and had fallen asleep early. The husband and wife lay on the bed, leaning against each other.

"Stone is seven this year. Husband, do you have any plans?" Hu Yufen moved slightly and rested her head on Jiang Huanyu's shoulder. "During the day, I ran into Sister-in-law from the rear courtyard preparing the entrance tuition. She said that when autumn begins, she will send her family's Daniu to the teacher in town for basic education." "When you go to town to sell grain later, do you want to ask about it?"

Jiang Huanyu gave a soft hum. At seven years old, in his previous life, it would already be time to go to primary school. These years, the husband and wife had relied on hard work and had saved some money. Their days could be considered passable. It was indeed time to plan some future path for the children. They could not let them be farmers for their entire lives too. Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. The Great Yu Dynasty also had social classes. Only, within the scholar class, there was also a parallel "martial" class. Great Yu revered martial strength. After laying a foundation in childhood, one could join the army in the future, kill enemies on the battlefield, and also be enfeoffed as a marquis or appointed as a general.

He understood his own children. Compared with the second child, Jiang Wenyan, the eldest, Jiang Wenfeng, had more than enough endurance but insufficient cleverness. Such a person was more suitable for the martial path. If he followed the literary path and luckily entered officialdom in the future, it might not necessarily be a good thing.

"How much silver does the family have?" The literary path was poor, while the martial path was rich. Practicing martial arts was something that burned money. He had to calculate carefully.

"One hundred and sixty taels." "This season's grain can still sell for quite a bit." Hu Yufen managed the household, and she handled these matters in a very orderly manner.

Hearing this, Jiang Huanyu frowned slightly. One hundred and sixty taels was probably somewhat insufficient. He had privately asked around before. In the martial arts school in town, just the initiation gift for accepting disciples cost twenty taels. Three medicinal meals each month for conditioning would also cost ten taels of silver. Although the money for medicinal meals was not mandatory, Jiang Huanyu felt that since he had chosen this path for him, he definitely had to give him the greatest support. If he only trained half-heartedly, then it would be better not to train at all.

"Let me think about this matter. It's late. Sleep."

He turned over, and his large hand became dishonest as it wandered over Hu Yufen's body. When their passion grew intense, Hu Yufen suddenly turned over on top of him, her voice charming as she said, "Husband worked hard during the day. Let me."

After the clouds and rain ended, Hu Yufen fell into a deep sleep. Jiang Huanyu looked at the system panel in his sea of consciousness and fell into deep thought. The Divination System was bound to the entire family. At present, the Jiang family's direct bloodline only consisted of the three of them, father and sons. On the system, it was displayed as [Beginner Family]. He also did not know whether the system would undergo any changes if the Jiang family's bloodline increased in number.

Listening to the summer insects chirping, holding his soft and warm wife, and thinking about future matters, time soon arrived at midnight.

Ding! [System Notification: Divination has refreshed.] [Today's Divination · Auspicious]: When you pass by Blackwater Pond, you will unexpectedly discover a hundred-year-old Blood Toad shedding its skin. The shed skin of a hundred-year-old Blood Toad has extremely high medicinal value. Selling it can earn two hundred taels of silver.

 

[XiaoBudian]

Chapter 2 : A Treasure by Blackwater Pond

Blackwater Pond? Looking at the divination flashing in his sea of consciousness, Jiang Huanyu felt somewhat excited inside. This Blackwater Pond was also known as Black Dragon Pond. It was located about 10 kilometers outside Golden Willow Village and covered several dozen hectares. One had to pass by it when traveling from Golden Willow Village to Cloudwater Town.

Rumor had it that at the bottom of Blackwater Pond, there were spring openings connected to the mountain springs within Hidden Dragon Mountain. The pond had many hidden currents and whirlpools. Alligator-dragons and giant pythons appeared there, and there was even a terrifying black dragon lying dormant within. In the early years, when Willow County suffered a great drought, even the Lai River that ran through the entire county had dried up, yet Blackwater Pond's water level showed no sign of dropping at all. At that time, villagers from the surrounding villages and towns all went to Blackwater Pond to draw water, and quite a few people were swallowed by the alligator-dragons and giant pythons in the pond.

Jiang Huanyu did not know what a hundred-year-old Blood Toad was, but the skin this thing shed could actually be sold for two hundred taels of silver. That truly exceeded his expectations somewhat. Two hundred taels of silver was equal to more than ten years of his family's income. It seemed that tomorrow, he had to go to Blackwater Pond and take a look. Carrying this excited feeling, he sank into deep sleep.

Early the next morning, just as the sky had brightened, when Jiang Huanyu woke up, Hu Yufen beside him had already gotten out of bed. Through the window, he could see cooking smoke rising from the chimney of the kitchen house. Jiang Huanyu put on his clothes, came to the courtyard, drew a basin of well water, brushed his teeth with a willow branch, and went to the kitchen house.

Hu Yufen took out the reheated flatbread and eggs from the stove and brought them before him, asking, "Not sleeping a little longer?"

"I have to go out for a while later." Taking the flatbread and eggs, Jiang Huanyu sat down before the table and began eating.

Hu Yufen ladled two bowls of porridge, carried them over, sat beside him, and asked, "Are you going to town?"

Jiang Huanyu placed the peeled egg into Hu Yufen's bowl, then picked up another one and peeled it. "It rained heavily yesterday. I'll go to the riverbank and see if I can catch some fish to nourish Stone and the other one."

In these years, for ordinary commoners, being able to eat three meals a day and fill their stomachs was already an extravagant hope. Eating meat was even something they did not dare think about. It was only because Golden Willow Village was next to the Lai River that, in summer, they could go into the river and catch some fish and shrimp to satisfy their cravings and get a taste of meat.

Hu Yufen nodded slightly and did not speak. The two silently finished breakfast.

"When Stone and his brother get up, have them cut some grass to feed the pigs. Later, teach him some characters. He can't run around blindly every day." Jiang Huanyu spoke while sorting out the fishing net in the courtyard.

Children from farming families did not have that much of a childhood. At seven or eight years old, cutting grass, gathering firewood, and such things all had to be helped with at home. Before Hu Yufen fled to Golden Willow Village, she could also be considered a young lady from a wealthy family. She was educated and reasonable, so teaching the two brothers to recognize characters was no problem.

"All right. Then be careful." Watching him leave the house, Hu Yufen then busied herself going to wake the two little fellows up to eat.

The Lai River was south of Golden Willow Village. After Jiang Huanyu left Golden Willow Village, he walked west the whole way. That was the direction of Blackwater Pond. The reason he had not told Hu Yufen that he was going to Blackwater Pond was also because he feared she would worry.

"Brother Huanyu!" "Brother Huanyu!" Walking along the small path between the fields, Jiang Huanyu heard someone shouting from behind, so he stopped.

A rather thin young man jogged over to him. Seeing the fishing net on Jiang Huanyu's shoulder, he asked curiously, "Brother Huanyu, are you going fishing?"

Jiang Huanyu grinned and said, "Stone has been craving food these past two days, making a fuss about wanting to eat meat."

The young man looked at the direction and asked suspiciously, "Brother Huanyu, are you planning to go to Blackwater Pond?"

Jiang Huanyu nodded. "It just rained heavily. The current of the Lai River is too fast. If I fail to catch fish and the net gets washed away, that wouldn't be worth it." "I'll go try my luck at Blackwater Pond."

Hearing this, the young man's face showed a trace of disappointment. "I thought you were going to the Lai River. I was thinking of following you and helping out, then getting one or two fish later to satisfy my craving." "I'm not going to Blackwater Pond. I heard the alligator-dragons there have been very fierce recently. In just a dozen days, three people from neighboring Blackstone Village have already lost their lives at Blackwater Pond." "You must be careful. Don't go deep in."

Jiang Huanyu smiled slightly. "I'll just try my luck around the outer edge. If I can't catch anything, I can buy two fish in town later."

After parting from the young man, Jiang Huanyu continued on his way. About an hour later, he arrived at the location of Blackwater Pond. Although Golden Willow Village was about 100 kilometers away from Hidden Dragon Mountain, it was located on one of the branch ranges extending out from Hidden Dragon Mountain. Blackwater Pond was situated between two branch ranges of Hidden Dragon Mountain. The trees were unusually lush. In the scorching summer, once one stepped here, one could clearly feel a sense of coolness. If not for threats such as alligator-dragons and giant pythons here, it would indeed be a good place to escape the heat and enjoy the cool air.

The Divination System panel had the approximate location of the hundred-year-old Blood Toad, but it was not very precise. Jiang Huanyu circled back and forth along the bank of Blackwater Pond a few times. He roughly confirmed that the hundred-year-old Blood Toad was somewhere near him. But the surrounding water grass was flourishing, and shrubs grew thickly along the bank. For the moment, he did not see any trace of the hundred-year-old Blood Toad.

After thinking for a moment, he took down the fishing net from his shoulder. Since he temporarily could not find the hundred-year-old Blood Toad's trace, he might as well cast the net first. Even if he did not find the hundred-year-old Blood Toad's shed skin later, being able to catch a few fish to take back would not count as a loss. After all, the fish of Blackwater Pond were famous for being plump, delicious, and fresh.

After arranging the fishing net in his hand, Jiang Huanyu gripped the net rope with his left hand. His right hand suddenly swung out, and the large casting net spread into a huge circle before falling into the water. The loud sound of the fishing net entering the water echoed through the mountain forest. Jiang Huanyu suddenly caught sight of a flash of red disappearing in the distant shrubs!

That was…

Staring at the shaking shrubs, Jiang Huanyu narrowed his eyes. Blood Toad, Blood Toad… it should be red, right? Thinking of this, he tied the net rope in his hand to a tree, carefully picked up a thick branch, and walked toward that shrub. Jiang Huanyu's footsteps were very light and very cautious. Many alligator-dragons and giant pythons lived in Blackwater Pond. If he encountered either one, he would have to leave his life here.

Holding his breath and gripping the wooden stick in his hand tightly, Jiang Huanyu soon arrived before the shrub. He carefully used the wooden stick to poke the outer branches of the shrub, his body ready to retreat at any moment.

Rustle!

The shrub branches were shaken, but there was no other movement inside. Seeing this, Jiang Huanyu became slightly bolder and struck a few more times with the wooden stick.

Whoosh—

There was no movement from the shrub before him, but several wild ducks hiding in the shrubs farther away were startled and fled in panic. Jiang Huanyu, who had been startled into a cold sweat, took a deep breath. After confirming that there was nothing unusual about the shrub before him, he finally moved another step closer and used the wooden stick in his hand to push the shrub aside.

A smear of bright red faintly appeared from within! He hurriedly used the wooden stick to lift away the shrubs blocking his view, and finally saw the full appearance of that thing. It was a piece of toad skin, the size of a palm, entirely bright red, and lifelike.

The Blood Toad's shed skin!

Staring at that thing, Jiang Huanyu could not help but breathe somewhat rapidly. He knew that this thing was most likely the hundred-year-old Blood Toad's shed skin mentioned by the system. A thing worth two hundred taels of silver was right before his eyes. Jiang Huanyu did not lose his head and immediately rush forward. Instead, he gently shifted his body and tried to lift that thing with the wooden stick in his hand.

Carefully avoiding the surrounding shrubs, he picked the Blood Toad's shed skin out from the shrub. Jiang Huanyu hurriedly pinched it in his hand. Its touch was moist, slippery, and soft. It did not have the fishy stench of an ordinary toad. Instead, it carried a faint fragrance. When sunlight shone on it, it was clear and translucent.

Good stuff!

Just this appearance alone was not simple. After repeatedly examining the Blood Toad's shed skin, Jiang Huanyu hurriedly took out a piece of cloth from his shoulder bag and carefully wrapped it up. The hundred-year-old Blood Toad's shed skin was in his hands. The purpose of this trip could be considered achieved.

After tucking the thing away, he returned to where he had cast the net, untied the net rope, and slowly pulled the fishing net out of the water.

Splash! Splash! Crash!

When the fishing net was about to be pulled out, several splashes rose from the water surface. Faintly, there were fish struggling. Seeing this, Jiang Huanyu's face revealed a smile.

"The movement isn't small. It's a big fellow." He hurriedly steadied his body and sped up, dragging the fishing net onto the shore.

At the bottom of the fishing net, three fish with bluish-gray backs and white bellies were unwilling to be caught. They were struggling desperately, making the weighted fishing net rattle noisily.

Jiang Huanyu lifted the fishing net and came to a place far from the shore. Looking at the three plump black carp, he slightly grinned.

These three black carp were each roughly two kilograms in weight. If bought with money, they would cost at least half a tael of silver.

But that would only be for ordinary black carp.

The fish of Blackwater Pond were worth more than that.

The elders in the village often said that the reason Hidden Dragon Mountain and Black Dragon Pond both carried the word "dragon" was because a divine dragon truly lay buried in the mountain.

 

[XiaoBudian]

Chapter 3: Entrance Tuition



The water of Black Dragon Pond came from Hidden Dragon Mountain, and all living creatures in the pond were touched by dragon energy.

Such folk rumors were mostly imagination, and Jiang Huanyu did not take them seriously.

Instead, he felt that the reason the fish of Blackwater Pond tasted so delicious was first because this pond water truly might be mountain spring water, rich in all kinds of minerals.

Also, the pond was deep and the water pressure was great. Fish that lived inside for a long time had meat that was firmer and more delicate.

Carefully taking the three black carp out of the net, Jiang Huanyu took out a hemp rope, skillfully passed it through their gills, tied them together, and hung them on a tree branch.

Next was tidying up the fishing net, preparing to take advantage of his good luck and cast a few more nets.

But today's good luck seemed to have been used up by the Blood Toad's shed skin. In the next few casts, he only caught a few palm-sized grass carp and had no big harvest.

Seeing that the sun was already hanging high overhead, Jiang Huanyu tidied up the fishing net and did not continue.

Carrying the fishing net on his shoulder and holding the fish he had caught this time, he walked toward home.

When he reached the village entrance, he saw from afar a gray-clothed old man leading a donkey toward him.

Sitting on the donkey's back was an old man dressed in a Confucian robe, with hair and beard both white.

The old man in Confucian robes was called Lu Zhiyuan. It was said that he had once been a great scholar at the Commandery Academy. Five years ago, he came to Golden Willow Village, bought a piece of land at the village entrance, built an elegant small courtyard, and settled there.

The gray-clothed old man was his servant, named Uncle Ya.

Scholars were aloof, and Lu Zhiyuan basically did not associate with the villagers.

When the villagers met him like this, they would respectfully call him "Teacher Lu," while he would merely nod slightly in return.

"Teacher Lu, Uncle Ya."

When the two sides met, Jiang Huanyu cupped his hands and greeted them.

On the donkey, Lu Zhiyuan nodded slightly, while Uncle Ya smiled politely.

Just as they were about to pass each other, Lu Zhiyuan noticed the few black carp in his hand and suddenly said, "Were those fish in your hand caught from Black Dragon Pond?"

Jiang Huanyu stopped, raised the fish in his hand, and nodded. "Teacher Lu could tell?"

Lu Zhiyuan turned over and got down from the donkey's back. He walked forward, bent down to look at them twice, then stroked the beard under his chin and said, "They all say the fish of Black Dragon Pond carry dragon energy."

"These few fish have had their gills pierced and been carried under the sun all the way by Little Brother Jiang, yet they still have such spirit and vitality. They are truly unusual."

"To be honest with Little Brother Jiang, this old man has always loved eating fish. I wonder whether Little Brother can part with them?"

"Can you sell these fish to this old man?"

He wanted to buy fish?

Jiang Huanyu looked at the few fish in his hand, then smiled and said, "It is not a matter of parting with anything. Since Teacher Lu likes eating fish, I will simply give you two."

As he spoke, he untied the rope, took down two larger black carp, and handed them over.

"These two are for Teacher. The remaining ones have to be taken back to make soup for my two stinky brats."

Lu Zhiyuan did not reach out to take them.

Uncle Ya at the side hurriedly came forward, pointed at the hemp rope in Jiang Huanyu's hand, then pointed at the two black carp, gesturing for a while.

Jiang Huanyu reacted and immediately tore the hemp rope apart, helping him string the two black carp together.

Uncle Ya grinned and took the fish.

"This old man did not bring silver with him. Later, I will have Uncle Ya send it to your residence," Lu Zhiyuan cupped his hands and said.

Clearly, he did not want to owe this favor.

Seeing this, Jiang Huanyu's heart moved slightly. He immediately cupped his hands and said, "Teacher Lu, I am being bold, but I would like to use these two fish to ask for an opportunity."

"Oh?" Lu Zhiyuan smiled slightly. "Little Brother Jiang, speak first."

Jiang Huanyu cupped his hands again. "I heard Teacher once held a post at the Commandery Academy and is a great scholar of the present age. I am being bold, but I want to ask for an opportunity for my son to become your student."

After saying this, Jiang Huanyu felt somewhat uneasy inside.

This Lu Zhiyuan was famous for being aloof. When he first settled in Golden Willow Village, many gentry and powerful families from Willow County had once carried heavy gifts as entrance tuition, wanting their family juniors to take him as teacher.

Even the Deputy County Magistrate of Willow County had personally visited him.

But without exception, they were all refused outside Lu Zhiyuan's door.

Jiang Huanyu opening his mouth now was only to try. In his heart, he did not hold much hope.

If this matter succeeded, then exchanging two fish for an opportunity to let his son become a student under a great scholar of the present age would be an enormous profit.

If it did not succeed, according to the old man's temper, he would not take advantage of him for two fish. Most likely, he would either return the fish to him or pay money to buy them.

They did not have much friendship to begin with. No matter what, he would not lose out.

Lu Zhiyuan did not speak, and the atmosphere became somewhat oppressive.

Uncle Ya held the fish and looked at his master's expression, already preparing to return the fish to Jiang Huanyu.

"This old man has always accepted students only by whether they are pleasing to my eyes. If Little Brother Jiang truly wants to try, then tomorrow at the end of the Rabbit hour, bring your son to my residence."

Hearing this, Jiang Huanyu's expression froze. Then he quickly cupped his hands.

"Many thanks, Teacher!"

"Whether this matter succeeds or not, these two fish are both gifted to Teacher."

After hearing this, Lu Zhiyuan smiled and waved his hand. "That is improper. These two fish shall be treated as your son's entrance tuition. If this old man does not accept him, then naturally I cannot take this entrance tuition."

"If there truly is no fate of teacher and student, then I shall buy them with silver."

Seeing his insistence, Jiang Huanyu did not say more. He immediately cupped his hands in salute and walked toward home.

After he had walked far away, Uncle Ya raised the fish in his hand and gestured for a while.

Lu Zhiyuan smiled faintly. "Money and wealth are merely external things. If there truly is a fish-dragon talent, then what does it matter if he comes from a poor family?"

"Uncle Ya, let us go back."

"If these fish die, they will no longer be fresh."

…

When Jiang Huanyu returned home, Hu Yufen had just finished making lunch.

"Father, you're back!?"

Seeing him walk through the courtyard gate, Jiang Wenfeng hurriedly ran over and took the fishing net from his shoulder.

The little fellow Jiang Wenyan also happily trotted over, wanting to take the fish from his hand.

Unexpectedly, the black carp that had been exposed to the sun for two or three hours still had extremely tenacious vitality. As soon as the little fellow approached, the black carp directly flicked its tail and struck his belly.

Slap!

"Aiyo!"

The little fellow was hit until he staggered and almost fell.

Seeing this from the side, Hu Yufen said with some surprise, "This fish is quite fierce?"

Jiang Huanyu smiled and rubbed Jiang Wenyan's head. "Fish from Blackwater Pond. It's normal for them to be a little fierce."

"You went to Blackwater Pond?" Hu Yufen asked somewhat worriedly.

Untying the hemp rope and throwing the fish into a wooden basin, Jiang Huanyu washed the filth from his body while saying, "If I hadn't gone to Blackwater Pond, I wouldn't have picked up a great bargain."

He told her about encountering Lu Zhiyuan on the road.

After Hu Yufen heard it, she was extremely surprised.

"In the past, the gentry and powerful families in the county pulled boxes and boxes of gold, silver, and treasures to Golden Willow Village. In the end, they could not even enter Teacher Lu's door."

"Husband truly used two black carp to obtain an opportunity for our child to become his student?"

Jiang Huanyu nodded. "After eating, go ask Sister-in-law Zhao to help and prepare a proper set of clothes for these two stinky brats."

"Tomorrow, we can't have them go become students with bare buttocks, can we?"

Hu Yufen quickly answered. She did not even care about eating and hurriedly returned to the room to look for suitable cloth.

That was a great scholar of the present age. For him to agree to give an opportunity was already something to thank the heavens for. Whether it succeeded or not, they could not lose courtesy.

While the father and two sons ate, Hu Yufen went into the house and rummaged through the cabinet, taking out several pieces of cloth she had bought in town before the New Year. These had originally been meant for making clothes for Jiang Huanyu, but since things were urgent now, she could only take them out first for the two children to use.

"Eat first. There's enough time." Seeing her busy calculating the cloth, Jiang Huanyu came over and spoke. Hu Yufen continued measuring the cloth on her own. "Teacher Lu is a great scholar. This opportunity wasn't easy to get. Even the small details have to be paid attention to."

 

[XiaoBudian]

Chapter 4: Under the Moon, Questions and Hopes



Seeing her nervous appearance, Jiang Huanyu could not help smiling and shaking his head. This scene was rather similar to when, in his previous life, he had luckily obtained an interview opportunity at a big company. In order to deal with that interview, he emptied his wallet and bought a suit and tie. In the end, on the day of the interview, those interviewers were all wearing casual clothes and sneakers. If Teacher Lu accepted students based on clothing, then this opportunity would never have fallen to his two sons.

"I'll go to the front courtyard and see if Sister-in-law Zhao is busy," Jiang Huanyu wiped his mouth and walked outside. When he was about to walk out of the courtyard gate, he glanced at the few palm-sized grass carp in the wooden basin. He casually took a hemp rope, strung them together, and carried them out.

The household living in the front courtyard had the surname Zhao. The man was two years older than Jiang Huanyu and was called Zhao Shuan. Zhao Shuan's wife's surname was Wang, and her name was Wang Ying. The couple had two sons and one daughter. They were all honest and proper people.

Jiang Huanyu carried the string of grass carp and knocked on the courtyard gate. A boy around the same age as Jiang Wenfeng, with a tiger-headed, tiger-brained appearance, opened the courtyard gate. "Uncle Huanyu?" Seeing Jiang Huanyu, the little boy called out, then hurriedly ran back into the courtyard. "Father, Uncle Huanyu is here."

Inside the courtyard, Zhao Shuan, bare-chested, came over carrying a rice bowl. "A-Huanyu, have you eaten?" "Your sister-in-law made millet meat porridge. Come have a bowl!" "His mother… serve A-Huanyu a bowl of millet meat porridge!"

Millet meat porridge was a kind of porridge made with millet and meat. Some time ago, Jiang Huanyu had laid traps in the mountain and caught one large wild boar and seven small wild boars. They had not been easy to transport down the mountain. After he asked Zhao Shuan and a few others to help carry them back from the mountain, the large wild boar was slaughtered on the spot. Some of the pork was sold to them at a low price, and the rest was all cured into salted meat by Hu Yufen.

"Brother Shuan, don't trouble yourself. I just ate." Jiang Huanyu waved his hand, raised the fish in his hand, and said, "I caught some fish this morning, so I'm sending you a few. Don't dislike them for being small."

Seeing this, Zhao Shuan hurriedly put down the bowl in his hand and examined the few grass carp. "Their luster is bright. A-Huanyu, these aren't fish from the Lai River, are they?"

"From Blackwater Pond."

Zhao Shuan was somewhat surprised. "You went to Blackwater Pond?" "I heard the alligator-dragons there have been very fierce recently. Don't take risks next time."

Jiang Huanyu nodded, then looked at Wang Ying beside him and said, "Sister-in-law, do you have time after eating?"

Wang Ying smiled and said, "The crops are almost done, and there's nothing much to be busy with. A-Huanyu, is something the matter?" The relationship between the two families was quite good. They often helped each other with small daily matters. On top of that, Jiang Huanyu had brought fish from Blackwater Pond this time, so Wang Ying was very polite.

"Yufen bought several pieces of cloth and wants to make Stone and the other one a proper set of clothes. Sister-in-law has clever hands. If you're not busy, please come over later and guide her a little."

The small compliment made Wang Ying very pleased, and she quickly smiled and said, "Not busy, not busy. Once Sister-in-law finishes tidying up, I'll come over."

Jiang Huanyu nodded and handed the fish to Zhao Shuan. "Brother Shuan, you eat first. I'll go back."

In the afternoon, Hu Yufen and Wang Ying were busy in the courtyard making clothes for the two little fellows, while Jiang Huanyu killed fish beside the well. At the same time, he picked out two fine pieces of wild boar meat, cut them into long strips, and wrapped them in red cloth. Although Lu Zhiyuan had said that the two black carp could be treated as the entrance tuition for becoming a student, it would not look good to go empty-handed tomorrow morning. This wild boar meat was purely wild, and its taste was very good. Bringing two strips over would look proper. Besides, with Lu Zhiyuan's personality, if he did not accept Stone and his brother, he would not accept the meat either. There would be no loss.

"Yufen, I remember this cloth was bought by you to make clothes for A-Huanyu, right?" On the bamboo mat, Wang Ying carefully sewed the cloth and casually asked. Hu Yufen smiled and nodded. "Stone and Anu are going to visit Teacher Lu tomorrow morning. Time is tight, and there's no time to go to town to buy new cloth, so I took this out first for an emergency."

Hearing this, Wang Ying's needle paused slightly, and she raised her head in surprise. "Visit… Teacher Lu?" "That old stubborn man in our village?"

Hu Yufen suddenly realized that she might have let something slip. This Teacher Lu had finally agreed with great difficulty to give her family's children an opportunity. If the villagers all found out later, there would inevitably be many people going to disturb him. The teacher liked peace and quiet. If he became angry later…

Seeing that she did not answer, Wang Ying grinned and continued sewing the clothes in her hands. "Yufen, don't you trust Sister-in-law?" "This matter entered my ears, and it will absolutely not spread out again. Don't worry."

Hu Yufen smiled awkwardly. "Thank you, Sister-in-law."

The two remained busy until evening before they finally rushed out the clothes for Jiang Wenfeng and Jiang Wenyan. The two little fellows used the hot water left warming in the courtyard to simply take a bath, then impatiently changed into their new clothes.

"They really fit." "Thanks to Sister-in-law telling me to tighten the shoulders and waist a little. Otherwise, they really wouldn't look good." A person relies on clothes, and a horse relies on its saddle. Ever since summer began, the two stinky brats had always gone around bare-bottomed. Even when they occasionally wore clothes, they only wore small shorts, smearing themselves all day like mud monkeys. After bathing and changing into new clothes, they looked much more comfortable.

"Sister-in-law, Stone's father killed the fish. I'll go stew them now. Later, call Brother Shuan and Dahu over to drink fish soup." The sky was already dark. Wang Ying had been busy at their house for the whole afternoon, so Hu Yufen quickly invited her.

"No need. At noon, A-Huanyu also sent a few fish to us. I'll just go back and stew them now. I'm leaving." Wang Ying walked out of the house with a cheerful smile.

At night, the family of four drank fish soup. After washing up, they sat in the courtyard to enjoy the cool air.

"Father, why is the moon sometimes round and sometimes a crescent?" Anu, who was lying beside Jiang Huanyu, looked at the moon overhead, which was like a jade plate, and asked curiously.

"That's because the Heavenly Dog eats it!" "Just like a flatbread with a big bite taken out of it!" Before Jiang Huanyu could speak, Jiang Wenfeng on the other side rushed to answer.

After hearing this, the little fellow climbed up with a roll and said, "Then why does the moon that was bitten become round again after some time?" Jiang Wenfeng was stunned by the question. He stammered and did not know how to answer.

"Mother, what do you say?" The little fellow looked at Hu Yufen beside him, who was holding a cattail fan. Hu Yufen was also stunned by the question and looked at her youngest son with some headache. Although this little fellow was only four years old, he was absolutely a "problem baby." Although Hu Yufen was not some talented woman, before her family suffered the barbarian disaster, she had read quite a few classics, histories, philosophical works, and literary collections. But many times, when facing Anu's questions, she often could not answer.

Seeing his wife suffer a setback, Jiang Huanyu smiled faintly. "Stone, go get two plates." Jiang Wenfeng was somewhat curious, but he still got up and went to the kitchen house to bring over two plates. Jiang Huanyu took the plates, held one in front and placed the other behind. By slowly moving them, he simulated the process of change from a full moon to a crescent moon.

"Do you understand?" The little fellow stared at the movements in his hands and did not speak. Jiang Huanyu also did not explain these things too much. He merely put down the plates, rubbed the little fellow's head, and said, "If you want to understand these things, you have to study properly. Once you have read many books and thought more, you will know all of this."

Jiang Wenyan nodded as if he understood but also did not. Then he asked again, "Then does the teacher know these things?"

Hu Yufen felt that her man was taking the chance to encourage study, so she immediately continued the topic. "Teacher Lu is a great scholar, one of the most learned people under heaven. Naturally, he understands." "Anu must perform well tomorrow and strive to make the teacher accept you as his student. Do you understand?"

Jiang Wenyan nodded.

Hu Yufen then looked at her eldest son, Jiang Wenfeng, and said, "Stone must also perform well. If both of you can become the teacher's students, your father and mother will be at ease." Jiang Wenfeng also nodded.

Just like this, the family of four sat on the bamboo mat, quietly looking at the full moon above their heads.


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[XiaoBudian]

Chapter 5: The Chosen Disciple

The morning sun had just risen, and the thin mist gradually dispersed.

At the beginning of the Rabbit hour, Jiang Huanyu got up and called both little fellows awake.

After they simply ate a little, Hu Yufen personally dressed the two little fellows and tidied everything up. Then she instructed them, "When you arrive at the teacher's house, don't be naughty. You both remember the etiquette Mother taught you, right?"

The two nodded. "Mother, don't worry. We both remember."

Jiang Huanyu, who was at the side, spoke at this moment. "All right, it's time to go."

The agreed time with Lu Zhiyuan was the end of the Rabbit hour. It was already almost time, so they should set off.

Carrying the salted meat prepared yesterday as entrance tuition, Jiang Huanyu took the two little fellows and went out.

Hu Yufen personally saw the father and sons out of the house, watching the figures of the three disappear into the alley.

Lu Zhiyuan liked quietness. His small courtyard was built outside Golden Willow Village, near a small stream.

Jiang Huanyu brought his two sons along the small path between the fields, and very soon they arrived before the small courtyard.

The path before the gate was paved with blue bricks, and at the entrance stood two peach trees laden with fruit.

When Jiang Huanyu arrived, Uncle Ya was holding a broom and sweeping the fallen leaves before the gate.

"Uncle Ya."

Jiang Huanyu cupped his hands and saluted. The two little fellows also imitated his appearance and slightly cupped their hands to Uncle Ya.

"Yi-ah…"

Uncle Ya smiled and cupped his hands, then hurriedly placed the broom to the side, straightened his clothes, and led the three into the courtyard.

Lu Zhiyuan had lived in Golden Willow Village for more than five years. Jiang Huanyu estimated that he was the first outsider to walk into this small courtyard.

This was a two-entry courtyard, with white walls and black tiles. Several ink-black bamboo plants were planted by the entrance screen, lush and flourishing.

A corner archway connected to the inner courtyard. After walking in, on both sides of the straight bluestone path, several orchid plants were planted on the left. The artificial rockery near the wall and the courtyard wall were covered with climbing vines.

An exquisite cool pavilion stood beside the artificial rockery, cleverly forming a sense of layers.

On the right were several well-tended vegetable plots.

"Uh~"

After leading Jiang Huanyu into the courtyard, Uncle Ya pointed at Lu Zhiyuan, who was holding a book scroll in the cool pavilion, signaling for them to go over themselves.

Jiang Huanyu cupped his hands, then led Stone and Anu toward the cool pavilion.

"Teacher."

When he arrived before the cool pavilion, he cupped his hands and saluted. The two little fellows were also somewhat restrained at this moment and respectfully cupped their hands.

Lu Zhiyuan put down the book scroll in his hand, stood up, and cupped his hands. Then he examined the two little fellows.

Jiang Huanyu did not speak from the side. He only quietly paid attention to the expression on Lu Zhiyuan's face.

"This old man would like to speak with these two children alone."

After examining them for a while, Lu Zhiyuan spoke with a smiling expression.

Jiang Huanyu was slightly stunned, then tactfully cupped his hands and left the cool pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, Lu Zhiyuan looked at the eldest, Jiang Wenfeng, and asked, "Why do you want to take this old man as your teacher?"

Jiang Wenfeng hesitated somewhat, then respectfully cupped his hands and said, "Mother said Teacher is a great scholar from the Imperial Academy…"

When his words reached this point, a trace of disappointment appeared on Lu Zhiyuan's face.

He then turned to Jiang Wenyan and said, "You tell me. Why do you want to take this old man as your teacher?"

The little fellow raised his head and replied, "Teacher is the most learned person under heaven. If I become Teacher's student and study properly, I can know many things."

After hearing this, Lu Zhiyuan asked with some surprise, "What do you want to know?"

Seeing this, the little fellow's eyes brightened. He was just about to speak, but then lowered his voice and said, "Mother said I must not lose courtesy before Teacher. I…"

Lu Zhiyuan smiled, stroked his beard, and said, "There is no harm in asking."

"Really?" The little fellow lifted his head excitedly.

Lu Zhiyuan smiled kindly. "Ask."

Seeing this, Jiang Wenyan immediately threw the etiquette his mother had instructed him on to the back of his mind. He leaned forward and said, "Teacher, are there rivers, marshes, lakes, and seas in the sky?"

Lu Zhiyuan was slightly stunned, then shook his head. "No."

"Then where does rain come from?"

Lu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "It comes from the clouds."

"Then where do clouds come from?"

This question actually stumped Lu Zhiyuan.

Jiang Wenfeng, who was at the side, saw that his younger brother's tricky and strange question had made the teacher freeze. He hurriedly cupped his hands. "Teacher, please forgive him. Anu, he…"

"No harm, no harm." Lu Zhiyuan chuckled. "Do you have any more questions?"

Jiang Wenyan tilted his head and said, "When rain falls, it becomes water. Why does water flow toward lower places?"

Lu Zhiyuan stroked his beard and said, "Water enters a hundred rivers, and a hundred rivers return to the sea, because the sea is at the lowest place."

Jiang Wenyan asked curiously, "What is the sea?"

Willow County was located in the western part of Great Yu. The largest river he had ever seen was the Lai River, and he had no idea what the sea was.

Lu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "The sea is the vastest water, boundless and endless."

Jiang Wenyan seemed to think about it, then nodded his little head and said, "Then the sea is the smartest water."

Lu Zhiyuan was puzzled. "Why?"

"Because the sea knows to stay at the lowest place, letting all water flow toward it, so it grows the largest!" Jiang Wenyan grinned and said.

Hearing this answer, a trace of surprise appeared on Lu Zhiyuan's face, and a ripple also rose in his heart.

"The sea accepts a hundred rivers; it is great because it has capacity." This was a principle he had spent more than half his life comprehending. He had not expected that today, a young child would actually speak astonishing words and express this principle with the simplest speech.

"Hahaha…"

Lu Zhiyuan laughed, and his laughter was very loud.

It caused Uncle Ya, who was tidying the vegetable plot not far away, and Jiang Huanyu to be unable to help turning their eyes over.

The two stood up and looked curiously at Lu Zhiyuan, who was laughing heartily in the cool pavilion.

"Go. Call your father over."

Lu Zhiyuan withdrew his smile and looked at Jiang Wenfeng beside him as he spoke.

Jiang Wenfeng cupped his hands and hurriedly came before Jiang Huanyu. "Father, Teacher asks you to go over."

Jiang Huanyu patted the dirt from his hands and hurriedly came before the cool pavilion.

"Little Brother Jiang, please accept this old man's bow."

Seeing Jiang Huanyu, Lu Zhiyuan straightened his sleeves, cupped his hands, and bowed.

This scene left Jiang Huanyu completely confused. He hurriedly dodged and returned the salute, saying, "Teacher, why are you doing this?"

Lu Zhiyuan straightened up and looked with relief at Jiang Wenyan beside him, sighing as he said, "This old man began basic education at three. At six, I had already read the classics, histories, philosophers, and collected works thoroughly. At twelve, I passed the imperial examination and became a presented scholar. At the age of twenty, I entered the Imperial Academy."

"After that, I traveled under heaven and visited famous masters and great scholars. By the age of forty, I already claimed to know all learning under heaven."

"I wasted twenty years at the Commandery Academy. Five years ago, I resigned from office and came here, wanting to comprehend a field of learning that surpassed the sages, yet I was never able to find the way."

"When one investigates the Dao, one learns the depth of the Dao. When one observes oneself, only then does one know one's own smallness."

"Alas! Life has an end, and it cannot be defied. The scholars under heaven are all mediocre talents. None could enter this old man's eyes."

Lu Zhiyuan stood proudly with his hands behind his back, his voice sonorous and powerful.

At this moment, the image of a scholar's proud bones was displayed to the fullest.

After this emotional speech, he withdrew his spirit and bearing. Then he reached out and rubbed Jiang Wenyan's head, saying with great fondness, "This child has come for the sake of seeking knowledge. His heart carries the desire to know. This old man likes him greatly."

"This old man bows to you because you have sent this old man a proud student."

After hearing this, Jiang Huanyu's expression was slightly stunned. Then he reacted and quickly looked at Jiang Wenyan, saying, "Anu, why haven't you quickly kowtowed and saluted?"

Jiang Wenyan belatedly realized what was happening. He hurriedly bowed his head, knelt on the ground, and performed a great salute.

"Student greets Teacher."

Lu Zhiyuan calmly accepted it, then chuckled and helped him up.

"Good, good, good…"

"From today onward, you are this old man's final student."

"All this old man has learned in his life will be taught to you. I hope you can surpass your teacher and reach a height this old man has never attained."

"Go back first. Tomorrow at the beginning of the Rabbit hour, just come straight over."

The father and sons cupped their hands and saluted. Then, personally seen off by Lu Zhiyuan, they left the small courtyard.

On the way home, Jiang Wenfeng's mood was somewhat low.

The teacher had only said to let his younger brother come over tomorrow and did not mention his name at all. Clearly, he had only agreed to accept his younger brother as a student and had not taken a liking to him.

Seeing this, Jiang Huanyu rubbed his head and said, "Everyone has a path suitable for themselves."

"If studying doesn't work, we can still learn martial arts. Father will go to town tomorrow and ask about it."

After hearing this, a smile appeared on Jiang Wenfeng's face.

In his heart, he actually did not like studying and learning very much either. Earlier, when Lu Zhiyuan had asked him, he had also not known how to answer.

When martial arts was mentioned, his heart instead felt somewhat excited.

"Father, I will definitely practice martial arts properly and join the army to become a great general in the future!" Jiang Wenfeng's young face was filled with seriousness.

Jiang Huanyu smiled and rubbed his head, but did not speak.

When the father and sons returned home, Hu Yufen was standing at the doorway, anxiously looking around.

"Mother!"

"Mother!"

When the two little fellows saw their mother, they hurriedly ran over.

Hu Yufen bent down and tidied their clothes, then raised her head to look at Jiang Huanyu, who was walking toward her.

"Husband, how was it?"

Jiang Huanyu smiled faintly. "The teacher accepted Anu."

Hearing this, a trace of joy appeared on Hu Yufen's face. Then, noticing the disappointment on her eldest son Jiang Wenfeng's face, she quickly squatted down, touched his little face, and said, "Stone, don't be discouraged either. Your father and mother will think of another way."

Jiang Wenfeng obediently nodded, and the family of four returned to the courtyard.

"Later, we'll divide this year's grain. Leave enough to pay taxes, store some, and pull the rest to town to sell."

Jiang Huanyu said in a deep voice.

"So urgent?" Hu Yufen was somewhat puzzled.

She had still wanted to wait for a while. Now that the new grain had just come down, the grain price would not be too high.

Jiang Huanyu glanced at Jiang Wenfeng, who was playing in the courtyard, and said in a low voice, "I want to send Stone to the martial arts school in town to learn martial arts."

"This child's mind is not on books."

Hu Yufen also knew that her man was right, but she was still somewhat worried.

"I heard that learning martial arts requires talent, and one must be able to endure hardship."

"More importantly, if you want to lay a good foundation, the money spent will not be a small amount. Our family… can afford it?"

There were also quite a few children from Golden Willow Village studying martial arts at the martial arts school in town.

The reason their families could afford it was because they had never thought of buying medicinal meals to condition their children's bodies.

They merely wanted the children to learn a few moves through martial arts, strengthen their bodies, and later, no one in the village would dare to bully them lightly.

After all, the reputation of having "learned martial arts" still had a certain deterrent effect.

Hu Yufen was educated and reasonable, so naturally she would not only have this sort of thought. Her plan was the same as Jiang Huanyu's. Since they were letting the child walk this path, they had to provide him with the best resources and do everything in their power to let him become talented.

"You don't need to worry about this matter. The family's savings should be able to support two years. I'll think of another way."

Jiang Huanyu sighed.

Sure enough, people's greatest troubles all came from desire.

If he did not want his two children to rise above others and achieve something, then relying on the family's current circumstances and living honestly, how could there be so many vexing matters?

The hundred-year-old Blood Toad's shed skin obtained from Blackwater Pond yesterday could still sell for two hundred taels of silver.

Adding the money they had saved over these years, then selling the grain, they should have nearly four hundred taels.

If nothing unexpected happened, supporting the eldest in practicing martial arts for a few years should not be a problem.

Time passed in a flash, and soon it was night.

After the family finished dinner, they all rested early.

Moonlight was like water, hanging in the center of the window lattice. Jiang Huanyu lay on the bed, wanting to turn over, only to discover that Hu Yufen's entire leg was pressing on his body.

Helpless, he did not dare move recklessly.

He quietly looked at the gauze canopy above his head, thinking about how to make some changes on the current foundation so this family could live a little wealthier.

Time passed bit by bit, and in the blink of an eye, it was midnight.

Ding!

[System Notification: Divination has refreshed.]

[Today's Divination · Great Misfortune]: You decide to sell the hundred-year-old Blood Toad's shed skin. As a result, it attracts the attention of someone with intentions. You are followed back home. You resist desperately, but the other party is a very powerful martial artist. In the end, you and your family are killed, and the family's property is looted clean.

Most of the time, the system's divinations were insignificant small matters, so Jiang Huanyu had not originally cared much.

He would only habitually glance at them after the divination refreshed.

But this time, when he saw those blood-red large characters, his heart suddenly trembled, and he sat up from the bed!

Great misfortune!

Because of a single hundred-year-old Blood Toad's shed skin, he would actually be followed home by a martial artist, ultimately causing his family to be destroyed and everyone to die!?

On a sweltering summer night, Jiang Huanyu was startled into a cold sweat by the words of the divination!

"Husband, did you have a nightmare?"

His movement also woke his wife, who had been sleeping soundly beside him.

Hu Yufen sat up. By the moonlight, she saw the sweat seeping from Jiang Huanyu's forehead and asked with concern.

Jiang Huanyu came back to his senses and turned to look at his wife.

The moonlight was gentle. Hu Yufen's hair was loose, giving her a strange, hazy beauty.

He gently held his wife in his arms, gradually using more strength.

Hu Yufen was completely confused by his inexplicable action. Although she felt somewhat unable to breathe, she did not struggle. She only quietly stroked Jiang Huanyu's back with her palm and comforted him.

"It's all right, it's all right…"

After his mood calmed, Jiang Huanyu released his arms, gently stroked his wife's cheek, lowered his head, and kissed her.

After the clouds and rain were overturned and a release followed, Hu Yufen fell into a deep sleep.

Jiang Huanyu once again glanced at the divination in his sea of consciousness, and a decision formed in his heart.

No matter what, this hundred-year-old Blood Toad's shed skin could not be sold!

Even apart from his wife, he would not let anyone know that he possessed the hundred-year-old Blood Toad's shed skin!

Early the next morning, Jiang Huanyu, who had risen early, simply ate a little and hurriedly left home.

When the sun had just risen, he arrived before a household at the eastern end of the village.

"Is Uncle Sun at home?"

Inside the small courtyard, an old woman and two gray-clothed servants were busily drying all kinds of medicinal herbs. Hearing the shout, the old woman turned around.

"A-Huanyu, your Uncle Sun is in the medicine hut. Go straight there."

Jiang Huanyu nodded and walked toward the house at the southwest corner of the courtyard.

When he reached the door, a faint medicinal fragrance rushed toward his face. Just taking one breath made one feel refreshed and clear-headed.

Jiang Huanyu knocked on the door. Only after hearing a "Come in" from inside did he push the door open and enter.

"Uncle Sun, I came to ask you for a prescription."

Along both sides of the medicine hut, medicine cabinets were arranged against the walls. In the middle were medicine grinders and all sorts of tools for decocting medicinal herbs.

Behind the central table, an old man with a stooped figure and grizzled hair and beard was holding an ancient bamboo slip and carefully studying it.

Hearing Jiang Huanyu speak, the old man raised his head and narrowed his eyes for a while.

"Jiang family boy?"

Jiang Huanyu nodded and cupped his hands. "Recently, the heat has been fierce. I always feel dizzy and nauseous, and I have no appetite. I must trouble Uncle Sun to take a look and prescribe some medicine."

The old man nodded slightly and said, "Sit. It is probably heatstroke."

Jiang Huanyu came forward and sat down, stretching out his wrist.

The old man placed his fingers on his pulse and felt it for a while, then said, "It is not very serious. This old man will prescribe you one set of medicine. Go home and boil it, then drink it like tea."

Jiang Huanyu cupped his hands in thanks, then asked again, "Uncle Sun, my boy is preparing to go to town to learn martial arts recently. I wanted to ask you for advice. Are there any things to pay attention to in his daily meals?"

While grabbing medicinal herbs, the old man said, "Although this old man does not understand the martial path, practicing martial arts is nothing more than needing a good body and abundant blood and vitality."

"If you want him to have some prospects, then the medicinal meals from the martial arts school naturally cannot be lacking. In daily food, it would be better to stew fine meat together with some ordinary medicinal herbs."

Jiang Huanyu secretly remembered these things. Then, after hesitating for a moment, he said, "The martial arts school's medicinal meals are quite expensive. Are they truly effective?"

After hearing this, the old man smiled.

"The medicinal meals of the martial arts school in town all use precious medicinal herbs. Just the ten-year Blood Toad's shed skin inside costs ten taels of silver for one piece."

"Blood Toad shed skin has the effect of strengthening the foundation, nourishing the origin, generating essence, and replenishing blood. Just a small piece can make a person lively and vigorous for an entire day. Paired with other medicinal herbs, the effect is even greater."

Placing the gathered medicinal herbs on kraft paper and wrapping them, the old man smiled and said, "It is only because our Willow County has Blood Toads. If it were another place, a single medicinal meal probably could not be bought without ten taels of silver."

Jiang Huanyu deliberately showed surprise after hearing this. "Learning martial arts really is a money-burning trade."

The old man chuckled. "Isn't that so? When this old man traveled through the commandery in his youth, I heard that those children of noble families used hundred-year-old Blood Toad shed skins to temper their bodies. Just the cost of medicinal meals alone was at least several hundred taels of silver every month."

"All right. After going back, decoct it over a gentle flame for half an hour. Add more water. Drink it for two days and you'll be fine."

Jiang Huanyu quickly cupped his hands. "Many thanks, Uncle Sun. How much?"

"Thirty copper coins."

Jiang Huanyu paid the money and carried the medicinal herbs out of the medicine hut.